Romania’s National Authority for Management and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) is advocating for a more pragmatic approach to digital and AI regulation, warning that excessive bureaucracy could undermine Europe’s competitiveness and innovation, according to Pavel Popescu, Vice President of ANCOM.

Speaking at the Innovation Forum 2026, organized by The Diplomat-Bucharest, Popescu said ANCOM has become a key player across digital policy, telecommunications, postal services and artificial intelligence because of the institution’s long-standing regulatory expertise.

“ANCOM has, over the past two decades, built a highly professional team with strong technical expertise. That is why today we are involved in virtually every major regulatory process coming from the European level into Romania, and subsequently into national legislation,” Popescu said.

While reaffirming his support for the European Union, Popescu argued that the current pace and complexity of European regulation has become counterproductive.

“I speak as a committed pro-European citizen who fully understands that Europe provides investment, funding and opportunities. However, those resources ultimately lose their value if companies are unable to thrive because of an overly burdensome regulatory framework,” he said.

According to Popescu, ANCOM is working to simplify the implementation of European legislation rather than adding unnecessary administrative complexity.

“Our objective is deregulation in the sense of simplification. We are trying to streamline the constant flow of European regulations and directives. I know this may not be a popular message, but I also know that anyone in the private sector—or in the Romanian public administration—who genuinely works with these highly complex legislative documents understands exactly what I mean,” he said.

Turning to artificial intelligence, Popescu announced that Romania will soon hold the first technical meeting of the national AI working group responsible for implementing the European AI regulatory framework.

“The group will bring together all relevant public institutions with legislative responsibilities, but we also intend to actively involve open-minded institutions, universities and experts who are willing to think outside the box,” he said.

Popescu stressed that successful AI governance cannot be achieved without meaningful participation from the private sector.

“We cannot build an effective AI regulatory framework on our own. We are neither capable of doing so today nor will we ever be. The private sector must be involved in the most serious and substantive way throughout the regulatory process,” he said.

He argued that Europe’s traditional top-down regulatory model should evolve toward a more collaborative approach.

“There are, of course, fundamental issues—particularly ethical safeguards in AI—that must be regulated. Those are non-negotiable. But beyond that, regulation must benefit from the expertise of those who are actually developing and deploying these technologies,” Popescu added.

Concluding his remarks, the ANCOM Vice President called for a regulatory philosophy centered on practicality and innovation.